Why Wasn't I Informed?
by fanficfantasies
Summary: When an inexplanable terrorist attempt happens at an ordinary high school, one young girl must uncover the mystery behind two people who used to be her best friends... Who are the Demigods? Rated T for consepts. (Not much romance, by the way)
1. Chapter 1

**(Note: Rated T for concepts)**

**disclaimer for whole story: I do not own PJO, Rick Riordan does. I only own the vast amount of OC's in my story.**

Some people would call me stupid. If they did, I would agree. Not because of my atrocious grades, or because of my ADHD, but because of what I said to my crush yesterday.

_Stupid, stupid, stupid! How more perverted could I have sounded? _

Now, I know what you're thinking. What did you say to him?

Well, first I should clear up who he is. My crush is Christchen, probably the most annoying boy in school. Everyone else sees him as nuisance, but he's just really lively, funny, and a little handsome. Christchen has light black hair, and brown eyes. He's the only boy in history that I've seen wear a pink shirt to a school dance or a twirly nerd hat on hat day. Although he's not documented as ADHD, I could swear he is, at least a little. I liked him, but since I didn't like his friends very much, I didn't hang out with him.

But when we were walking back inside after gym (we spent it on the track outside the school) I ran into him. So we talked a little, about things... I don't know what it was anymore. I was afraid I was going to start blushing, so I told him, and I quote, "Why don't you go hang out with your boyfriends?"

I blushed raspberry as I realized I just called him gay. "No...That's not what I meant..." I couldn't form a correct sentence. I have basicly spent my life surrounded by little kids, who call all their friends 'girlfriends' or 'boyfriends' that it rubbed off on me.

To my surprise Christchan laughed. "You should really say 'guy friends'. And I'm not gay. That would be bad for Sophia."

Did I mention that Christchan had a girlfriend? Her name is Sophia. Sophia and I used to be friends in kindergarten, but we grew apart. She's now an honors student, while I struggle with basic math equations. Sophia has long, black hair and brown eyes (just like Christchan). She's really a great person, so I try not to be jealous of her.

Some days that works. But most I try to turn the thought of Sophia and Christchan out of my head.

"Sweetheart! It's almost time for the meeting!" my mom shouted.

I almost groaned, but stopped myself just in time. My mom is an english teacher for fourth graders, so any protest involving school would probably get me a tutor, a threat mom has held over my head since the fourth grade. She has curly blonde hair and blue eyes. I look exactly like her, except for my straight hair and pimples.

I pulled on a blue blouse my mom ordered me to wear, that had two unmovable buttons on top. I slipped into a skirt, something I never wear but my mom insisted, that was pink with white squiggles on it. I could hardly hold in another groan as I crammed my feet into a pair of petite medium flats. Turning, I peered into a mirror.

It's settled. I look like an idiot. At least I don't have anyone there to impress.

Still, just in case, I packed a neon green t-shirt with the Areopostale logo on it and red Nike sneakers before went to get my capries. There was nothing in my closet but skirts.

_Mom! You have got to be kidding me! _

Not finding anything else, I snagged a midnight black skirt that seemed to ripple as I moved it. I went downstairs and donned a red jacket, my mom hustling me to the car.

Now I know what you're thinking. Where are you going? What are the extra clothes for?

My mom is also part of the Board of Education. They have meetings every once in a while and I often have to come. Dad would watch over me, but he's working on a major project at work that has to be done ASAP.

My dad's an engineer at a Toys Are Us factory. The major project he's working on is planning, building, and distributing 40 toy prototypes before the end of the month. His deadline is coming up, so he now lives in the factory. He looks nothing like me, with brown hair and green eyes. He is where I get my straight hair from, though.

So now you're wondering what the clothes are for. These meetings I have to go to every other week are extremely boring to listen to, since it's all 'money this' and 'money that'. And, since it's in a library and I'm a horrible reader, I don't have anything to do. During most meetings, I manage to sneak out of the library and go into the woods at the side of the school. I, using the other pair of clothes, explore for a little. Then I return in my regular clothes when the meeting's over. It's a piece of cake.

This is one of the board meetings that had crowds full of people who wanted to listen in (Who wants to do that?) so it was easy to get out and change. Now in slightly more comfortable clothes, I slid my bag back on my shoulder and went out to the woods.

I embraced the shadows as I walked in. Despite the dark of the night, I could see in here well enough not to walk into a tree. There was silence, except for the padding of my sneakers on freshly made mud and the hoots of owls. It didn't take long for me to follow my normal trail to the center of the forest. Once I get there, I can access any one of my forest paths that I choose. I decided on one of the half finished ones, and soon I was walking again.

It didn't take long to hear the noises. It sounded like...metal on metal? But what medal? Making a unconsious decision, I glided off the path and into the unknown. For the first time, I was finding my ADHD helpful. I could keep track of where the sound was coming from and focus on not breathing to loud and keep my footsteps quiet at the same time. It was getting hard to get through the fallen trees and deep puddles of mud, but I kept going.

By the time I finally got to the noise my shoes were filled with mud and my midnight skirt was rimmed with it. That didn't seem to matter as much as what I saw next.

I ducked behind a tree, trying to figure out what I was seeing and if it was true. Still keeping my breathing silent, I looked out from behind the tree once more.

It was Christchan. Unmistakeably him, despite how buff he suddenly looked. And Sophia was with him. Her black hair was pulled up in a pony tail and she was wearing no jewelry (like she normal does). They were in a clearing that was bathed in moonlight. The moonlight bounced off trapped water from the rain we had earlier in the day, making this clearing the brightest place in the forest.

Now it should be none of my business that Christchan and Sophia are in the forest. They're boyfriend and girlfriend; they could have come in to make out or something. But, I think I have a right to be concerned about the weapons in their hands.

Yep, weapons. Christchan and Sophia were sparring with short, sharp, and probably deadly knives. They weren't steel, but more of a bronze color. I could see the sweat coming off their faces, but they didn't seem to care. Their spar came to an end when Sophia disarmed Christchan and pinned him down, knife at his throat.

"How's that for a workout?" Sophia questioned playfully, not removing the knife from his throat.

"Better than anything the gym could give us," Christchan smiled his dazzling smile. "but it's not done yet."

Before I could even inhale, Christchan used his knee to flip Sophia over, disarming her in the process. Then he rolled on top of her and, using her old weapon to trap her.

He only held it to her throat for a few seconds before he removed it and helped her up. She was frowning.

"I finally though I was going to beat you!"

Christchan snorted. "You've only learned you were a demigod a month ago. Experience is better than skill."

I was confused now. _Demigod?_

"If we did sharpshooting I would win." Sophia stated it like a fact.

"Well we aren't, so ha." Christchan teased. He went and kissed Sophia on the check as he saw her crestfallen face. "Maybe we'll do it someday. But we can't do gunfire so close to the school."

"I can't wait until we get transferred." Sophia muttered.

"I don't care for this school, but I don't care for much as long as you're with me." Christchan whispered, hardly audible over where I was standing.

Then he leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

I felt like it was raining jealousy. I had really hoped that Christchan would eventually dump her, and then someday he would realize he loved me instead. That kiss, though short, made me realize the truth. That's never going to happen. Why? 'Cause he really loves Sophie.

I didn't know that for sure, but that's what it felt like. Even though the curious part of my brain told me to stay and figure out what demigod means and why they were sparring, I decided to head back to the meeting. In my haste I wasn't as cautious as I should have been. I was almost out of the clearing when I stepped on a twig.

I know what you're thinking. That cartoon cliché was what gave you away? It was. Man, that makes you think of paying more attention to cartoons.

Christchan had just come out of the kiss and spoken, "Plus this is the school you grew up with, that should cover for the lack of action and new demigods."

I'm pretty sure that Sophia would have countered with something like, "My hometown was always boring," if the sound of the twig hadn't made it to their ears.

Within a millisecond Sophia had drawn a silver gun from an invisible holster, cocked it, and had it aimed right at where I was standing. She didn't hesitate to fire.

Then time slowed down. I could clearly see the bronze bullet careen towards me. I could even see the ridges made in it to tear open skin the most effectively. I think they were called meni balls. Without thinking I balanced myself, crouched my knees and stared at the bullet.

If I stayed in that position, the bullet would have impaled its self into my shoulder, possibly heart. My brain seemed to know that because as that bullet got more that an arm's length away my knees tensed and pushed, letting my arms swing up.

I jumped. I somehow jumped over a bullet ready to severely wound me, maybe kill, without losing one item I was carrying and without making a sound. I heard the bullet crack as it impaled its self into a fallen tree. Safe.

You know, until I realized I wasn't on the ground. My hands opened and closed, trying to find something to hold onto. I found a tree trunk, its rough bark digging into my skin. I peeled my glued shut eyes open...and found myself looking at the ground.

I was standing on a tree branch that probably had the circumstance of two inches, gripping onto the sturdy tree. Praying I would make no sound, and that I wouldn't fall off, I looked into the clearing.

"I swore I heard a monster." Sophia was telling Christchan.

"Well, we will have to worry about that later. We need to get out of here before the police, or the board members show up."

Christchan and Sophia packed up and got out of there ASAP. Now I was going to have to get out of here too. I slowly managed to climb down the tree. Then, not even bothering to worry about being heard, I started to run, trying to find my way back on the path. I made it sooner than I expected, but I didn't slow down as I took the automatic turns to get to the center of the forest.

I didn't even realize that I was crying until the tears began to blur my vision. The moment I made it to the center of the forest, I sank into the rain coated grass and allowed myself to cry my fear and disappointment away.

If you're thinking, 'Oh what a sissy, she's crying!' then_ you _almost get injured by a bullet shot by your crushes girlfriend, just after being slammed into the harsh reality that your crush has a girlfriend, barely managing to get out of there without being killed or seriously hurt, and_ then _tell me that.

Taking a deep breath I remembered that I still had to get back to the meeting. Wiping the tears off my eyes I stood back up with renewed adrenaline.

_Get back to the library without getting caught, then wonder why Christchan and Sophia were fighting, what demigod means, why their weapons are bronze, and what the monsters are. _

I just hope I can do it.

**Note: This is an OC based story. But before you all leave, let me tell you it does divulge into the past of one particular demigod (cough*Drew*cough). I also don't know how updates are going to come along, so be patient with me.**


	2. Chapter 2

I guess you are wondering what I was thinking, running 20 miles per hour through the woods trying to get back to the meeting in time.

I really wasn't thinking about what all those strange terms meant, or re-running the previous events through my head. I was trying really hard not to think about Christchan or Sophia. No, what I was thinking about while I ran unconsciously through the forest was an event that took place a week ago.

It was the last period of the day at school, and I was going to my last class, Read 180. Half of the seventh grade (7B) was on a field trip to Beaver Camp. Since I was on side A, I had to go on with school as normal. Read 180 took 7B students also, so three fourths of the class was missing. We were going to start the next lesson, but one of the eighth grade teachers, Mr. Robinson, told us that there was a guest speaker in the gym and that we were welcome to hear her speech.

The Read 180 teacher, Mrs. Whelsh, decided to take us to the speech instead of teach the lesson planned. When we were all seated (on the floor by the way) the guest speaker started her speech. I expected it to be a boring lecture by a high school teacher. The guest speaker actually turned out to be Miss New York, a model who I learned got in second (or was it third?) place in the Miss America competition.

She was stunning, wearing a twinklely crown and a sash that adorned her Miss New York. Her long black hair was her most noticeable feature, hair that reached her shoulder. It was the perfect length.

Her speech were the best. This was the first sentence she said. "Now, I am here today because for some reason, this crown and sash make people listen to me."

She spoke about bullying, not because others did, but because it affected her childhood. Her sister had some sort of disorder that made everyone pick on her, a lot like me. Yeah, I don't really float under the radar very well. Several bullies, including the oh-so-famous popular crew lead by a girl named Drew, like to pick on my ADHD although it's rumored that she had ADHD and dyslexia.

Miss New York was bullied too. There was a college professor that told her she was stupid because she couldn't read as well as the other students. She could do it if she took her time, but he didn't give her any. She was so close to getting her degree, but she had to take a two hour seminar with that teacher. She couldn't make it through it, and ended up not getting her degree.

In the end she made it to success. She told us that the world is like a puzzle and that every person fits in it somewhere. We just have to find it. Also, that the things we do to others can cause a chain reaction. One time, she had took cupcakes to her work, and put them on the snack table. Everyone got a cupcake, and was happy the rest of the day. No one knew who had done it, because she refused to tell it was her. About a week later there was a box of cookies on the snack table. No one knew who had done it, not even her. But she could take pride in knowing that she was the maker of a secret snack club.

Man, if only she knew how much we are alike.

So, why was I thinking about this?

I just had a feeling that Christchan and Sophia were going to be important for my place in the world. Where that place is, I don't know. I guess I should go and ask Sophia and Christchan what they were talking about, but that would mean admitting to them I was there and that I had listened to their conversation. I could try to figure out the terms they used myself. There is a local library I could search. Or, I can just forget about it and go back to my life. It's not like I want to have anything to do with Christchan until he breaks up with Sophia.

I just don't know what to do.

I was at the end of my path now, emerging from the forest right behind the school. I got into the school undetected, and made it to the bathrooms. I changed out of my mud soaked shoes and my mud dipped midnight skirt into my flats and squiggly pink skirt. My Aeropostale green shirt and red coat were covered in bark from hitting the tree, but it was nothing to serious. I got out of that and into blue blouse. Once everything was suitably packed up, I headed out to seek out my mom.

I didn't hear the voice until I got to the main corridor. The library doors were open, letting all the teachers and crowd out. Several moms were seeking their children, husbands seeking wives, etc. There was a very faint, but getting louder, siren coming from outside. I guess someone called the police. I could see families standing on the left side of the hallway. The principal was herding people to the right, where they can find their families. It was a pretty good process.

"Sweet heart! Oh, my sweet Hatty!"

It was my mom, calling my by Hatty, the worst nickname in the world. My name, Harriet, comes from Harriet Tubman, the women who became part of the Underground railroad and lead slaves to Canada. Most people don't know that she was also a Civil War nurse, and part of the Red Cross. When she was a little girl, she got hit was a cinderblock trying to protect another slave. She was kind, strong, and brave.

Why did my mom name me that, of all things? I have no idea. Maybe she wanted me to be kind, strong and brave too. Maybe she thought Harriet would watch over me from heaven, or something.

But I hate that name. It's so old fashioned. I like the name Kylie more, so that's what everyone calls me. Except my mom, who calls me Hatty.

My mom wrapped me into a hug. "I was so worried, I thought you got hurt, where were you?"

Lying isn't a hard thing for me to do, so I applied that course of action. "I just went to the bathroom. When I got out everyone was worked into a frenzy, so I went to look for you. What happened?"

"Come here first." She dragged me over to the left side of the hall as the police officers came in.

Everyone around me was talking, rather about where other family members were when the gunshot happened, what it could be (some people thought it an explosion) and who could have done it. Still, I was able to hear most of the conversation taking place between the principal and the police officers.

"Are you sure that the gun shot didn't come from the house over?" a gruff voice asked.

"No," the light airy voice of Principle Riley was strangely heavy, "it came from the back of the school. Probably in the woods."

"The gunshot was probably a pistol. Have you see anyone who had enough room to carry a small pistol before the meeting?" that was a less coarse voice. It was probably a skilled interviewer.

"No one I saw."

"It could be a terrorist, but generally people are dead by the end... not that I wish that." the gruff voice quickly covered.

"If anything suspicious happens, tell us. Other than that, we can't do much right now." the interviewer's voice concluded.

I almost cursed at how close they came to the truth. Yes, I don't know what everything was about, including the gunshot, but I was involved and I don't want to get in trouble. Christchan and Sophia don't need to get in trouble either, at least until I find out everything there is to know about what happened.

We were allowed to go home a half and hour later. That is exactly a whole day for people with ADHD. I was twitching when we got into the car. My nerves didn't calm on the way home either. I felt like someone was breathing down my shirt, but I couldn't see who it was.

When we made it home it was 8:34. I grabbed a snack and headed up to bed. I hoped the snack would calm my nerves enough for me to sleep. It didn't work.

All I could think about is the strange night I had.

_Demigod... what does that mean? It has something to do with a god... but demi? And their weapons! They looked like they were used to using them. What were they doing? Oh gosh..._

_Stop. _I told myself. _If you do this anymore you are going to kill yourself. Let's come at this scientifically._

I'm not a logic lover, but if it's going to keep me from going insane I'm all for it.

_Let's make a list._

I grabbed a list and a piece of paper and started.

**Sophia: Christchan's girlfriend, hometown of Langrage NY, sharpshooter, 'demigod' as of one month, can use daggers, impulsive, goes to Langrage Middle School**

**Christchan: Sophia's boyfriend, experienced 'demigod', great with daggers, mediator, goes to Langrage Middle School, hometown of Langrage NY, my crush...**

I stopped writing. I decided to grace myself with the nice memories I have of Christchan. Kindergarten blocks, first grade photos, fifth grade study sessions...

Suddenly all the memories of Christchan from more than two months ago faded. No, they disappeared. I couldn't remember his face from more than two months ago, his eyes, cute chocolate stuffed face... nothing! All I saw was the unusually distant Christchan that is lovingly dating Sophia.

Wait... all my memories of Sophia were gone too. I had memories of my life, it's just none of them had Christchan or Sophia in them. No wait, Sophia was in for some, but none of them summers, and then she disappeared for a year before coming back. Something was wrong with me, or something was unusual with Christchan and Sophia. Probably the latter.

I erased the last two things under Christchan. Then I made another list.

**Strange things about Christchan and Sophia:**

**They can spar.**

**They have, mostly, disappeared from my memories.**

**Sophia was never seen in the summer and has disappeared for a year.**

**Sophia is a sharpshooter, although there is nowhere to practice around here.**

**They reappeared around two months ago.**

**They have run into what they call, 'monsters'**

**Their weapons are all bronze, including the bullet Sophia shot at me.**

**They're dating.**

Ok, so the last one isn't so strange! It's makes me feel better and it's my list, so I can add anything I want.

I looked over the list several times, going over the exact word everyone said, reviewing all of our actions. I probably did that forty times before I was ready to crash.

Spent and exhausted, I slid the list and pencil under my bed. I flopped onto my bed and closed my eyes. I was out immediately.

_One thing's for sure. I'm chasing the Mystery of the Demigods, no matter what I have to do._

**A/N: Forgot to tell you, my plot line for this isn't very orginized, so if something doesn't make sense to you, please tell me.**


	3. Chapter 3

I guess it goes without saying that school was canceled the next day.

There was a whole police investigation on where the gunshot came from. After several interviews and a lot of investigation, the police determined that the gunshot was a terrorist attack.

A terrorist attack? Am I the only one that thinks that is highly unlikely? Even if I wasn't there, even I can tell that is so unlikely it's stupid. There's woods behind the school that lasts for miles. Why would a terrorist shoot a gun in the woods? If they really wanted to attack the school, shooting a gun would give away their cover. For all the police know, it could have been just a illegal hunter trying to get some game.

But no, a terrorist attack. So the police decided that school should be closed for a month while they try to figure out who did it.

That should be good news. I don't have to deal with talking to Sophia and Christchan, avoiding Drew and her posse, and the homework. The ADHD part of my mind was jumping for joy at the aspect of time off.

But the mystery dedicated part of my mind was telling me to use this time to solve, what I call, The Mystery of the Demigods.

So here I am, one o'clock in the morning, trying to find my way to the scene of the crime. I could retrace my steps there, but since it's only three days after the gunshot the police are still camped out at the school. Instead, I planned to trek around the neighborhood until I got to the 'Big Barn'. That's my nickname for a large, unused red barn that lays slightly west of the end of our neighborhood road. The Big Barn is the place I originally started to explore the woods by. It's rickety cupboards hold my many maps of the woods, along with a flash light and a change of clothes.

I slid into the shadow of the big oak tree growing in my yard. I had just snuck out of my room, after making sure my parents were asleep. I had clothed myself in black and green, perfect camouflage for the woods.

Taking a deep breath, I started moving. I took the shortest route possible to the Big Barn, which included cutting through yards, sprinting across streets, once even climbing over a house. Everyone was sound asleep, so no one heard the many curse words I used when it started raining.

I made it to Big Barn without incident. I grabbed the flashlight, but left everything else stationary. After drying off a little, I set off. My internal compass kicked in once the woods enveloped me, leading me down the well worn paths until I made it to the clearing.

I could see why the moonlight clearing was the place Christchan and Sophia hung out. There was plenty of light, the bugs were limited, and there's a stream near-by. Well, I can hear the trickling water of one.

_Focus._

I forcefully pulled myself out of my brooding.

_What first? Oh, compass point._

Compass point was a trick I invented when I first started exploring the woods when I was nine. When I made new routes, or when I was trying to documents stuff on a map, I would use the compass point technique. I would stand in the direction I was walking in, and then use that as my north direction. The rest after that is simple.

I went to stand in the position I was in when the gunshot happened. That was my compass point.

North of that spot was where Sophia fired the gun. To the south was the tree that holds the alleged bullet. East is where Christchan was standing when the gun went off, and west is where their supplies were.

_Now what? _

Ok, now I feel stupid. Gather evidence!

There was nothing but dew where Sophia was standing. Praying the rain didn't erase any evidence, I headed to the east point. Nothing there either.

Next was west. It didn't seem like anything was there either.

_What was I expecting? A explanation note?_

A glint in the grass caught my eye. It didn't hold much promise, it's hard to see stuff in the rain. But I was surprised. Right next to a rather large rock was a small pin.

It was a Hunger Games pin. The movie had just come out a week ago, and everyone was obsessed with the books, movie, even some of the actors. Drew and the Popular Crew are _in love _with Josh Hucherson, the actor that plays Peeta. They all say he has abs and that he's soooo hot. They are so shallow. This pin was the Mocking jay pin, the one that Katniss wears in the Hunger Games.

Several people at school had the pin, most of them being Drew and the Popular Crew. It was possible that Sophia or Christchan had the pin but it's unlikely.

_Is Drew involved in this? Or did Sophia/Christchan just buy the pin recently?_

This investigation is bringing up more questions than answers.

The last quadrant is south, which has the tree the bullet's buried in. Splinters of wood covered the ground, including some sap that the meni bullet pulled out of the tree. Though, the sap could just be the buckets full of rain that just stopped pouring two seconds ago.

_Man, what would have happened if the bullet had hit me? Actually, don't think about that._

I rapped my knuckle on the tree. It gave no signs of falling over. The bullet didn't seem to have gone all the way though...circling the tree proved my point. There were no bullet shells on the ground or anything. I had no evidence that the bullet was shot here and that this isn't just a bullet lodged in a tree from the days hunting was allowed in the forest. There were several of those around the area.

_Wait, isn't the bullet bronze?..._

I have an idea.

The flashlight was out before I could think about it. I shined the light at the hole. The bullet had lodged its self deeply into the tree by wrapping the bark around it. The hole was so small that I'd need some serious tools to get it out. I could nick some tools my father uses to build toys, but that would be another night for the police, or anyone else to find the bullet. Sadly, I really don't have another choice.

Once I have the bullet, I could see if the material really is bronze. It might not help much, but I need all the information I can get.

The pin in my pocket, I decided it'd be easier to go to the school and walk home on the sidewalk. Mind set, I gracefully made my way out of the woods.

So you should imagine my shock when I ran into some people who look like the walking dead at the school.

I made out of the baseball field and to the school when I saw it. The shadows around the flag by the entrance way _bent_ until it spit out _people_. There was a boy who looked Goth. He wore a black and grey shirt with a skull on it with. The most noticeable article of clothing was probably the pitch black leather jacket he wore. He had shaggy brown hair, brown eyes that looked haunted and the whole 'I could care less' feel around him. A girl was with him, also Goth with spiky hair that's black with blue highlights. She wore a leather jacket and combat boots. She had this shimmery aura around her that made me blink a few times. Was there a crown on her head?*

"All we do is pull the Mist around these mortal's minds, then we're out of here." the girl barked her orders at the boy.

"Fine, Thails. Basically you do work, I guard an provide transportation." the boy griped, obviously annoyed.

"Nico." she groaned. "My name is Thaila, not Thails."

"Whatever. Let's get this over with." Nico growled.

When Nico and Thaila started walking to the nearest guarding police officer, of course I followed. I started by trying to shadow Thaila, but when Nico started glancing behind his back, I decided the roof was the best place to spy from. By the time I had climbed on the low roof and caught up to Thaila and Nico, they had already started talking to the police officer.

"...here so late at night! Whatever you want the boss for, it can wait until tomorrow." the police officer I recognized as gruff voice growled.

"Listen," Thaila tried diplomatically, "we need to speak to your boss. It's very urgent-"

"So urgent that he can't even get a good amount of sleep!" gruff voice interrupted. "My boss has been working his butt of on the terrorist attack situation and it can be only expected that he gets a good amount of sleep! So what he hasn't gotten very far yet! If you're here to complain about the safety of this town I can tell you..."

"Thails." Nico looked at her expectedly.

"Fine," she growled.

Thaila snapped her fingers and the spoke, "It is urgent that we speak to your boss. You will take us to him." Her voice was all misty and clouded. I could've swore that it wasn't her speaking.

Gruff voice's eyes seemed confused and misty. Eventually he snapped to attention and obliged. "I will lead you to my boss. After all, it is urgent."

I almost choked. He practically repeated what Thaila said!

The main doors of the school closed with a bang. Everyone must have went in. I was pushed out of my stupor by my need to see what happens. I slid into the school, carefully making sure that the door closed without a sound. I could just see everyone disappear into the library. I followed them like a phantom, feeling a strange sense of de ja vu to when I snuck back into school on the night of the PTO meeting.

Standing right outside of the library I could only hear a low rumble of the voices inside. Once I put my ear to the door, I could hear the different pitches of people talking. There was no way to hear anyone's words.

_Wait! Doesn't glass attract the sound waves? If only I had a glass cup._

Then I remembered the wall. Our library is huge. It has it's hallways in a Y shape around it. There's the main corridor, where the door is. Then there are two hallways that go around both sides of the library. One of the hallways faces a wall made completely of glass squares. Those squares should attract sound waves perfectly fine.

I ran over, my sneakers squeaking on the ground. I couldn't see much but blurry blobs through the messed up glass, but I could hear what everyone was saying.

As far as I could tell, they had just woken the boss up.

"Is there a fire?" the boss directed his question at his lackey, gruff voice.

"No sir..."

"Has there been a terrorist attack, anyone in the hospital, any emergency at all?" the bosses voice was starting to sound threatening.

"N-no sir…"

"Then why am I being woke up at two in the morning?" the bosses voice transformed into a low growl.

"Those kids have something they need to speak to you about." gruff voice' voice was cracking.

"Those kids!" the boss exploded. "Why would you bring in two kids in the middle of the night! I have a right to fire you for..."

"Time for the Mist," Nico whispered so quiet I could hardly hear.

Thaila snapped her fingers again. "There was no gunshot. There was no terrorist attack. School will be restarted right away. That is what you will tell the people tomorrow. They will all believe you."

There was a few moments of silence. Then, "Richard, why are we here again?"

"Because of the terrorist attack, sir." gruff voice, wait Richard, responded.

"There was no terrorist attack, lackey. What are you talking about?"

"I don't know, sir."

Thaila turned towards the door, like her job was done, but Nico didn't. Nico whirled until he was facing...

_Me! He's going to see me!_

I flattened to the floor so hard that I'm surprised I didn't get a concussion. I took shaky breaths as silent as I could for the longest time. Finally I heard the door to the library close.

One pair of sneakers and one pair of combat boots squeaked on the way over to the main doors. The door was left open just a bit; I could tell by the sound of the wind blowing into the school.

I finally allowed my cramped body to rise from the ground. I rubbed the back of my head and found a lump the size of my thumb right where I hit the ground. That's going to hurt tomorrow.

I unsteadily lurched to the door and cracked it open a little more. It had stopped raining a while ago, letting the moon light shine through the clouds. Thaila and Nico were nowhere in sight. I stepped cautiously out of the school and listened for any signs of where Nico and Thaila could have gone. There was none. They probably just disappeared the same way they got here.

I'm even more confused now than when the investigation started.

I started walking home, my fatigue threatening to take over.

_Get home now. Information on the Mystery of the Demigods later._

My exhaustion made it easy to miss the two pairs of eyes watching me from the woods.

** * the crown is referring to the diadem that shows Thaila's part of the Hunters of Artemis**

**A/N: I'm sooo sorry if Nico and Thailia acted OOC! I really tried my best. Also, I really don't know what Thaila looks like, except for the combat boots, and I took Nico's description from the picture in Percy Jackson and the Olympians The Ultimate Guide. I hope that's ok.**

** Please tell me what you think! Am I doing this mystery stuff right? And (this is for the whole story) anyone can make suggestions or guesses on what's happening next. I really don't have the clearest plot line made, and I'd love ideas. Thanks!**

** DFTBA (Don't Forget to be Awesome)**

** -fanficfantasies**


	4. Chapter 4

You know those strange people who resemble the walking dead, Gothic version? I think it was Nico and Thailia. The Mist thing they did? I really worked.

The next day on the news there was a broadcast about the gunshot.

"We do not know who made up this scam," Richard finished, "but whoever did has not managed to throw our town in panic..."

The police, actually Gruff Voice, no, Richard, came on the news and said that they discovered that the gunshot was a scam. They found a tape player in the school that had recordings of guns being shot. The conclusion is some teenagers were just pulling a prank. So now we have to go back to school.

That's the official conclusion. Mine? That the tape recorder was rather planted by Thaila and Nico or that some person was recording the PTO meeting and managed to catch the gunshot on tape. It's more likely to be planted, but I'd have to listen to the tape to be sure.

So the whole back to school thing is good and bad. Good because there's no more police and because I can search into the whole Hunger Games pin thing, but bad because I have to socialize with Sophia and Christchan without letting it on that I heard them, deal with Drew, and there will be less time to work on the Mystery of the Demigods.

Speaking of that, here are the leads I have so far.

1) The Hunger Games pin. Did it come from Christchan, Sophia, or Drew?

2) The bronze bullet. Is it really bronze? Or did I just imagine this? (although that's unlikely that I imagined getting shot at with a bullet)

3) The police tape. Is it real? Or was it planted?

4) Thaila and Nico. Why were they here and how did they get here? Did they plant the tape? What was that Mist thing?

5) Sophia and Christchan. What were they doing? Why were there weapons bronze? Why were they talking about being transferred? What's up with my memories of them? What are the monsters they were talking about?

And what the heck's a demigod?

_Ugg! The deeper I get into this investigation the more questions I get! Could something come out as a straight answer for once?_

"Hatty!"

_Could my mom call me Kylie for once?_

"Yes mom?"

"Come and eat breakfast!"

I sighed, getting up from bed. It was the day after the Mystery of the Demigods investigation, and I was exhausted. The only thing keeping me from falling back to sleep was watching the news broadcast over and over on my phone.

"Harriet!"

I snapped up with a jolt. I've got to get up! I quickly changed into some jeans and an Aerospatiale shirt, going through the motions to keep me awake. I brushed my teeth and grabbed my backpack, my unfinished homework being pushed in. I ate breakfast fast, happy for once the fact I'm an only child. I do not want to deal with any little siblings right now.

My dad came downstairs and saw the eggs and toast my mom made. "Thanks honey," my dad kissed my mom's cheek as he sat down to drink his coffee. Mom smiled and continued to fry a sunny side up egg.

I made it away from the breakfast table as fast as possible. I slid on my blue sweater and left to go to the bus stop, forgetting to say good bye to my mom in my haste. Happy for the peaceful silence, I walked over to my friends house.

I can practically hear you gasping. Did you think I was an antisocial freak? I don't have a posse like Drew, but that doesn't mean I'm emo or anything.

My best friend is Calya Smith, the best double-Dutch-trampoline-bouncer in the world. Literally. She has a trampoline in the backyard that she practices with. She has ADHD, like me, but unlike me she has dyslexia. Maybe that's why she's such a good trampoline bouncer. Her mom divorced her dad shortly after she was born, and re-married about two years later. Calya only has one half brother, Cyle, who is ten now. I've shared all of my secrets with Calya, and I really wanted to tell her about the Mystery of the Demigods.

I ran up to her door step and knocked on the door, like every other morning. There is only one bus stop in the neighborhood, and everyday Calya and I run there. Why run? Mostly because we almost miss the bus everyday.

Mrs. Smith opened the door, unlike normal. Where's Calya? I looked behind her. No sign of her.

"Hello Harriet." Mrs. Smith smiled nervously.

I wasn't to upset by the name thing; practically no one actually called me Kylie (that's basically just a dream). But where's Calya and why is Mrs. Smith so nervous?

"Where's Calya?" I bluntly put.

"She went to her grandmothers for the summer."

It made some sense. It was late spring and summer was approaching fast. But Calya always told me about her trips, sometimes months in advance. Why wouldn't I know about this? And Mrs. Smith is very strict about school. Why would Calya leave half a month in advance?

But I didn't say any of those things. I left and continued on the way to the bus stop. In the end I had to sprint to make it. No Calya, messed up mystery...

My day is coming to a suckish start.

Nothing really important happened in the morning. I forgot to do some homework, slept in class, got yelled at by the math teacher when I started texting in class, got sent to the principal's office... normal stuff.

Lunch was were things started to differ.

I don't have very many classes that are the same as Sophia and Chirstchan. Their schedule is practically the same, something else I need to add on the rest of the strange things about Sophia and Christchan. Lunch is one of the few classes that I see them in... but I generally spend the whole period with them.

I don't know how lunch works in your school, but this is how it works in mine. You go in the cafeteria to get your food. You can rather stay there and eat, go to a teacher's room to eat, or go outside. Most students do the latter. There are several places you can go outside, the most popular being the main pavilion, the least popular being by the vending machines. You can probably tell were I sit.

I didn't see Sophia and Christchan for a while, which was bad, since the three of us take turns rotating on who brings lunch. It was Sophia's turn.

I had just slammed my fist into the vending machine that ate my dollar when Christchan and Sophia showed up. They sat down and got out our lunch. Strawberries, watermelon and egg salad sandwiches. Yum.

First thing I though of when I saw Christchan was how hot his is. Then I reminded myself that he has a girl friend and that it would be bad to be in a relationship with someone who is a prime suspect in my case. Stupid mystery! Sadly though, I would probably never be able to give it up.

I tried to hide my unease as I bit into me delicious egg salad sandwich. It was wonderful. None of us talked until all of our food was gone, which was normal. Us teenagers get hungry easily.

When we were done, conversation erupted. It was nice to have the area to ourselves; we can talk as loud as we want and no one ever comes here to look for us. There have been plenty of times that I snuck here to talk to Calya when I wanted to cut class. Good times.

Soon the small talk was over. "Where's Calya?" Sophia asked, innocently.

"She's at her grandmothers." I answered, trying not to sound suspicious. "I really miss her. At the end of the year too!"

"Yeah. Do you know how long she's going to be there?" Christchan asked.

"I've been told all summer." I answered honestly. "She really missed all the excitement. I wonder who would pull a scam like that?"

Sophia seemed to look uncomfortable, but Christchan kept an impassive face on. "What are you talking about?"

I feigned confusion. "You know, the fake gunshot that happened during the PTO meeting. I wonder who would make a scam like that."

Christchan's jaw tightened up slightly. If you didn't know him you wouldn't have noticed. That means he's frustrated, upset, or something's bugging him.

"Can you excuse us for a moment?" Christchan asked me. When I nodded, he dragged Sophia around the corner and our of my line of sight.

Of course I couldn't let them do that.

I silently slid out of my seat and padded to the corner. I couldn't see behind it without putting my head around it, but if I did that they might see me. What to do...

I could still here them talking though.

"We forgot to IM Chiron! We were suppose so do that if we found a new demigod!" that was Christchan's voice.

"It's fine," Sophia reassured him. "we can do it now. I highly doubt he will be that angry."

Christchan sighed. "I'm so stupid sometimes."

_If only I could see them... wait! The Hunger Game's pin! _

I grabbed it out of my sweater pocket. Then I angled it so I could use the shinny metal as a mirror. It was a little blurry, but enough to show that Christchan and Sophia had no idea I was there.

I put the pin back in my pocket and stuck my head around the corner just in time.

"Oh Iris except my offering," Christchan chanted, throwing a palm sized golden coin in the a puddle Sophia and Christchan must have made. "Show me Camp Half-Blood!"

The puddle shimmered until a picture came up in the center. It was a man. I could only see his head and torso, but he looked like a scraggily old man.

_How the heck did that happen?_

"Chiron," Sophia started, "I'm so sorry we didn't IM sooner. We found another demigod... Calya Smith. Is she there yet?"

I almost gasped aloud. _Calya's a demigod! I knew something was up... but why didn't she tell me?_

"Yes, Calya made it. Turns out she's a daughter of Hermes. Makes sense really. I think she's going to be as much trouble as the Stoll brothers."

"As much trouble as the Stoll brothers! Really? That's a new record." Christchan joked.

"At least we know no monsters got her." Sophia sounded relieved at that.

"One more thing," Chiron said, "Thaila wants to talk to you."

Thaila's face appeared in the puddle. "Hey guys."

"What's up Thaila?" Christchan got right to business.

"Well, when I went to go and fix the gun situation-"

"Which we haven't thanked you for yet," Sophia cut in.

"It comes with my life. Anyway, Nico saw this girl listening in on our conversation. We caught her coming out of the school right after us."

"Do you know what she saw? What she looked like?" Sophia and Christchan asked at the same time.

"I have no idea what exactly what she saw, and... I think she had brown hair and green eyes."

Yep, this was me. Luckily there are lots of people in the school that have brown hair and green eyes. But if they catch me again...

"We'll be on a look out. It'd be really bad if this person started telling the police what the Mist makes them see." Christchan stated.

"At least... wait! Don't want to jinx it." Sophia stopped talking abruptly.

Thaila sighed. "Glad things are good there."

"What's wrong?" Sophia asked innocently. Man, she's good at fake innocence.

"It's... it's nothing. I'm just starting to miss Seaweed Brain." Thaila perked up after that. "Just don't tell anyone. That would be like admitting defeat."

"We all are. I didn't know him very well and I miss him. Bye Thaila."

"IM you soon!"

Sophia kicked the puddle and the little screen went away.

I scrambled back to my seat as fast as I could. I grabbed the book my Read 180 teacher assigned me to read, flipped it open to a random page and started skimming the words. I just barley started to calm my rapidly beating heart when Sophia and Christchan came around the corner.

"What took you so long?" I tried to ask like I didn't know. "Were you making out over there?"

"No!" they both exclaimed at the same time. They were one of those couples that don't flaunt around there relationship like streamers, unlike some people I know(cough*Drew*cough).

I smirked at them devilishly. Right on cue the bell rang, reminding us that we actually had classes to go to. Sighing, I threw away my food and picked up my textbooks. A second bell rang, telling us if we didn't get to class soon we'd be late.

"Bye guys!" Sophia waved before she turned the corner.

After lunch is the only class of the day that I have with Christchan. Sophia has Honors English, Chirstchan and I have Read 180. Christchan has dyslexia. I'm almost positive that he has ADHD too. He told me he had dyslexia the first day we met. Sophia has ADHD and dyslexia too. I would question that, since those were old memories, but it's quite obvious by how they act that they really do have these disabilities. Somehow Sophia managed to get into Honors English.

It could just be that she used whatever the Mist is. That could explain a lot.

_I can't believe that Calya is a demigod and she didn't tell me what it is, even. And she's at this place called Camp Half-blood... is that a summer camp? I just can't get a question answered with out more questions coming up! Gosh! Can't I get just one answer?_

I am never going to ask the universe a question like that again.

Because right then the fire alarms started ringing. Christchan and I immediately changed course to get us out of the school.

Of course fate couldn't be that kind, could it.

Suddenly a horse streaked down the hallway we were walking down. The horse was pure white, not silver but pure white. I think if one smudge of dirt got on it that it would just magically disinagrate into ashes. The horse streaked straight at us with a look of pure blood lust in its red eyes.

_Wait, red? That can't be natural._

Christchan and I got the same idea. We both lunged out of its way at the same time. The horse turned, literally faster that the speed of light, and started charging at us again.

Christchan pulled out a dagger and used the light to distract the horse. It wouldn't keep it busy for long, only buy us time. The horse got over that trick quick, using its apparent super speed to rush at Christchan.

"Go!" Chirstchan shouted at me, while trying to use kung fu moves to knock the horse down. "Run!"

So what did I do? I ran like hell was chasing me.

Which it kind of was, if you take it by what happened next.

I ran and ran and ran and ran and... well, you get the idea. I ran until my lungs were burning. I finally made it to the cafeteria. Thinking I had gotten away from the horse, I walked in.

I am now permanently afraid of horses.

Inside the cafeteria there were three more horses. One white horse was guarding the main exit and the janitor's closet. Sounds from the janitor's closet made me believe that some one was trapped inside and banging on the walls. If I was them, I'd be happy that they're stuck in there. Why?

Out of the two remaining horses one was running around destroying the cafeteria and the other was… was.

Gosh, I can hardly say it. Man, getting trapped in the closet was sounding good about now. Why?

Oh, just cause one of the horses was _eating someone._ And guess who it was? Drew was getting a good chunk of her arm ripped off by the third horse, who seemed to be the leader. Drew was screaming bloody murder, which makes sense seeing she's being murdered bloodily. You can thank my ADHD that the first thing I thought was that the Drew-eating horse had absolutely no blood on its skin. Yep, ADHD lets you see the most important things.

_This must be the monsters that Christchan and Sophia were talking about._

All the other students had evacuated, except for one other, who was smacking the Drew-eating horse with a magazine. Like that'll make him give Drew up. The Drew-eating horse lashed its tail out at the boy and he was tossed across the room and into one of the lunch tables. He was out cold. So was Drew actually. It looks like she passed out from blood loss.

Do you understand why I'm now permanently afraid of horses? I can still see the pool of blood forming around Drew as the Drew-eating horse started to gnaw on her leg.

That knocked my back into reality.

I ran over to one of the lunch tables and grabbed a the heaviest textbook I could find. I slammed it into the closest horses head, the white one that was causing havoc. It stumbled, but then turned to me, very angry.

Before I could even register what was happening, the textbook was being flung out of my hands, a hoof was pushed into my stomach, another in my side, making me lose my breath. And I was being forced backward...

That last paragraph, that happened in a fraction of a second. A _fraction_. So fast I didn't even see any of it.

I was against the wall immediately, inhaling sharply from the new pain. I was thrown to the ground seconds after, the impact practically shattering my hip. Suddenly the horse's eye was inches from mine, its malice noticeable. I think that it_ smiled_. It was like he was rubbing my death by torture in my face.

_I'm screwed._

I shut my eyes in fear. I didn't want to see what was going to cause me so much pain.

_Maybe it'll be over with fast._

_ Yeah, and maybe the stars will fall down seconds after I die._

I deeply took my last breath, dreading the pain sure to come. And then...

**A/N: Cliffy! Hope you guys love me for it. Yeah, like that will happen.**

** About the horses… They are the horses that Hercules had to capture as one of his labors. There are some contradicting legends of what happened, but this is the one I'm using.**

** These four horses, the mares of Diomedes, were owned by Diomedes a supposed son of Ares. Diomedes was the leader of a tribe and had many solders under his command. He tied his four mares to a special post and fed them an unsuspecting civilian everyday. The mares became man-eating.**

** Hercules had managed to gather a crowd of civilians that wanted the mares gone. They broke into the stables and took the horses. When Diomedes found out, he sent his solders after Hercules and the civilians. When the soldiers got to the civilians, Hercules entrusted one of his younger friends (I don't know what his name is, sorry) the horses while he fought Diomedes. During their fight, the horses at the young boy.**

** Hercules was so upset that he fed Diomedes to his own horses. The mares, calmed by the meat of their master, obediently came with Hercules. Eventually they were sent out to a plain where the gods shot all of them dead.**

** In this story, I'm bringing the horses back like they were a monster, which I'm not sure they were. I think I'm going to use a picture of them I found as the identification picture. That's be cool.**

** Even though it's 10:30 at night,**

** Fanficfanticies **


	5. Chapter 5

_And then..._

There was nothing.

_What?_

I opened my eyes. The white horse was still standing above me, a hoof still resting on my chest, but his eyes were on something else. The Drew-eating horse had stopped also, along with the last horse, and stared at the new figure. There wasn't a forth white horse anymore; man it seems like they were disappearing into thin air.

It was another horse, likely the leader. It was the most grotesque thing I've ever seen. The leader horse was best described as a skeleton with thin, black leathery skin that let you see its ribs. Its tail is ragged, covered with blood, along with the rest of its skin. You could see its leg bones and muscles clearly too, creating a very disturbing picture to look at. Its neck actually had some fat in it, color a dark grey. Its head had fat and was a combination of light grey and dark grey, with a mane spiking up in the same color. There was a little white diamond on its snout. When it opened its mouth I could see blood tainted teeth.

I struggled to move, but I couldn't. I'd fallen into shock.

The leader horse strutted down the cafeteria like he owned the place. It observed the place, nodding in approval to the other horses, scowling at the eaten Drew.

It glared at the Drew-eating horse. **"You couldn't subdue her any other way?"**

My breath caught in my throat. It was the leader horse talking. It sounded way to human for my taste, like a permanent growl. The horse strutted over to Drew and prodded her with his hoof. She didn't stir.

**"She better be only unconscious. Mistress ordered us to bring all demigods to her alive."** the leader horse used his creepy voice again.

The white horse over me neighed, drawing the leader horse's attention to me. The leader horse got a feral grin on his face when it came over to me.

**"A demigod? No? It doesn't matter. Even a mortal who can see through the Mist can be an asset to us."**

The leader horse's snout came closer to me, until it was just above my ear. The horse's breath was hot, and it tinged my ear with sweat along with just grossing me out. It whispered in my ear.

**"Mistress didn't say we could have fun with our prey first." **

Before I could even register what was being said the leader horse bit my arm. I don't just mean bit, I mean he clamed down and started pulling skin off my arm. I freak'n hurt. And it wasn't even as bad as Drew got. It was like he was trying to save me for later, but claim me as his own.

I couldn't do anything but sit there holding in screams for three minutes. Tears were pouring down my checks and I could hardly breath through the pain. But I didn't scream.

Eventually it finished, and when it moved away to order his minions about, I almost sighed in relief. The tears started drying on my face so I could see more clearly. The pain made thinking impossible, but I had to do it anyway. It was time to make a plan.

The leader horse was ordering his lackeys around and was distracted at the moment. Drew was knocked out, no asset to me. There were overturned tables and chairs, but I couldn't pick one up never less fight with it. My upper arm had blood coming out of it, trickling down it and pooling on the floor. If it didn't stop soon, it could be used to track me if I find my way out of this.

In other words, there was nothing I could do.

Now, I'm proud to say I'm an atheist. But now, in this impossible situation, I said a prayer.

_If there are gods up there, where ever you are, please give me enough wisdom and guts to get me out of this situation alive. If you do I'll pay it back to you, somehow._

A large wave of pain overwhelmed my arm causing me to clamp my hand over my mouth to stop screams. With in those moments, I was sure I had never felt pain before and that I wanted to pass out. I pressed through the black spots in front of my eyes and made myself open them.

I'm officially not an atheist anymore. As soon as I opened my eyes I saw a bronze knife, just like the kind in the bullet, two inches from my good hand. My good hand caught the hilt and pulled it silently toward me. There was a sticky note attached to it, which I used my teeth to pull off. _**Those who seek knowledge will always find it,**_ the note read.

Holding the knife, I started to feel optimistic. Someone had answered my prayer. If something like that happened, why can't getting out of this alive happen? I do have some advantages, like this knife, the objects around the cafeteria, the element of surprise.

Just then a devilish plan formed in my head, which I decided to put to use before the monsters stop talking.

I slid my legs inward and hoisted myself up with my good arm. I was very lopsided, but I somehow managed to get up. Gripping my new knife tight in my hand, I tottered over to the light switch. I started operating on the light switch while I listened to the monsters talk.

**"We'll drag them to the truck and put them in like the others. Don't forget to inject them with the memory serum. Once we get to Kansas they should be awake. We leave them to travel on their own for a few days before we attack. Then the Cyclops will save them and take them to Gaia. Any questions?"**

I didn't have any questions. It was a wonderful, deceiving plan. How many other people could they have hidden inside their truck?

By then I had unscrewed the light switch with the Hunger Games pin and I was using the knife to cut the wires. My plan was to make it so dark that the monsters can't see. I won't be able to see either, but I can use sound to find my way around. Then I can get the heck out of here.

I got to the last strip of the wire and cut it as fast as I could. The lights went off immediately. I closed my eyes so I wouldn't get confused and then started inching in the direction to the door. I was almost there when I heard hoofs clopping on the ground.

I opened my eyes and whirled around. I could see nothing but two red eyes charging towards me.

_I forgot about night vision. Crap._

I was sliding into defensive position before I could think about it. My brain thought back to my father-daughter self defense class. I couldn't use many techniques, since they were meant for humans, and there is no way I could win if I did offence... but with defense...

Once the monster was close enough to me I tilted my knife to the flat of the blade was out towards the monster. As soon as the monster hit me, I twisted in a circle, using mathematics that I didn't know I had to force the monster into a wall. Before it knew what was happening, I had jabbed the knife into its stomach.

I couldn't catch what had happened in the dark. I whirled back to the door. Standing in front of it were the red eyes of two more horses. I could see the white sheen of one, but the other one faded into the darkness. That must have been the leader.

I didn't wait for them to attack this time. I felt like a blur as I dashed up to the white horse and stabbed it in the leg with my knife. The leader horse was smart, though. It used the opportunity to bite into my good shoulder. I screeched and whirled the knife around wildly, but it didn't strike and just made me lose my balance. Arm unusable and shoulder injured I decided it was time to run.

I dashed out the door and in to the hallways. For the second time that day, I was dashing down the halls.

Panting, I looked behind me. There were two white horse monsters and the leader horse.

"Where the hell...are these horses coming from!" I screamed as loud as I could. Doing something somehow gave me more energy to run.

I was closer to a back exit now. I couldn't leave without at least stalling the horses, though. Once I was outside, they would have free rein to use the super speed I'm sure that they have. So, how to stall the horses...

I stopped short of the door and looked around. The door was located in the heart of a hallway. The hallway continued strait for the longest time with a lot of branches off of it. If you walked far enough, you could reach the high school. The door was located in a small nock of the hall, a nock just far enough in that it could be called one. There was two conspicuous pillars that held up a long, horizontal beam of which held up the ceiling.

Even though I should be trying to figure out what to do, my ADHD decided to take over. All I could focus on was the fact that the beams holding the ceiling up should be arches. In Social Studies we had learned the difference between beams and arches. Arches distribute the weight better and last longer. The beam doesn't distribute weight as well and can break easily if to much weight is put on it. My eyes followed a crack going across the beam...

_Light bulb moment._

My brain seemed to switch back into reality time. The monsters were right in front of me, the leader glaring holes into my skin.

**"Looks like this one is smart. It's time for you to surrender."**

_Yes, yes! Keep him talking. I can do my plan from there._

I gulped. "You... you're right. There is no way I can get away from you, the most scary nightmare I have ever seen." I bowed before him, making sure to keep my dagger hidden in between my armpit and my arm. Once my hair was touching the ground, I rose back up. "I submit myself to your honorable cause."

The leader horse wasn't buying my faltering. **"Prove it."**

"How, my liege?"

The leader horse seemed to ponder it for a moment. Then a devilish grin spread across his bloody face.

**"Kill him."**

It gestured to behind him, where one of the lackeys was dragging a boy up to her. It was Christchan. He was knocked out and had a lump in the shape of a horse hoof on his head. His black hair was swept in front of his eyes, but it couldn't hide how pale his skin was. My hopes he wasn't pale from blood loss was squashed when I looked at his legs. His jeans were tore open on his right leg and blood was soaking the rest. He was bitten into horriblely. If it was infected, we would have a problem. There was no noticeable way to move him...

Wait. It took a little for the words to sink in, but did the leader horse just say to kill him? Oh crap. I guess the let's-get-on-their-side-and-then-kill-them plan isn't an option anymore.

"Kill-kill him?" I directed my question to the leader horse.

**"He is a threat. Do you wish to serve the cause?"**

I took a shaky breath and walked forward slowly. I slid my knife out from underneath my armpit and angled it so it was touching his chest. I counted to three and...

I whirled around like a hurricane and then, praying to whoever answered my earlier prayer, I chucked the knife.

The leader horse laughed, which really sounded like a cackle. **"Gosh... I knew you would try to fight back instead of killing your friend, but I didn't think you'd miss by so much! How did you even fend us off the first time? Shear luck?"**

I grinned a cocky grin I didn't know that I had. "Are you sure?"

As if on cue, the beam above the door's crack widened. It grew larger and larger until the whole beam shattered. Debris fluttered everywhere, causing huge commotion. I could hear the lackeys neighing, running as fast as they could away from the disaster.

I took advantage of the moment. I sprinted through the debris and grabbed Christchan. I propped him around my neck and tried to navigate through all the dust and debris I had created. I was getting so lost and confused that I probably wouldn't have made it out if it wasn't for the bronze dagger's glittering. Somehow I managed to grab the dagger before I ran out.

Once I got out I didn't look back. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me to the only safe spot I could think of. The woods.

My brain was elsewhere the entire sprint. _I can't believe that worked! Getting the dagger in the first place was lucky enough, but having the dagger hit the crack exactly is amazing! I've never thrown a knife before; how could have I gotten a bull's eye? Could it be the same way that the dagger had been delivered to me?_

As I reached the beginnings of greenery, I looked back at my homemade catastrophe. Grey and red bricks crumbled off the edges of the school, the dust just beginning to settle. If I looked across it, I could see the leader horse looking. His lackeys had long since run off, leaving him alone. It's eyes caught mine.

**"We'll meet again soon."** It's voice seemed to echo over the distance between us, making it seem like it was breathing down my ear again.

It's silhouette disappeared. I turned to the woods, letting the memories of the place flood me. Only now did I realize how tired I was. My adrenaline rush had faded off, leaving me to fully feel the pain of the bites the leader horse gave me and the bruised ribs I got being slammed into the wall. I could feel my hip screaming _Stop! Sit down!_ Christchan was heavy to carry, and holding him was making my neck sore. I just wanted to collapse here and now.

But I didn't. I took a deep breath and plunged into the woods, ignoring the trails of blood that me and Christchan were leaving.

_What happened to my normal life? What's happening to me?_

I caught myself as I stumbled, Christchan falling off of me. Sighing, I picked him back up and kept hiking. This is going to be a while.

**A/N: Hi all viewers! Man, I'm sorry I didn't update earlier, but I'm pretty sure that I mentioned that this wasn't going to be a very 'steady' story. This is my "fun" story, meaning that this one doesn't have a definite plot or update schedual. I update it once my other stories are updated and if I'm not busy. That's just how this'll work. That being said, I shouldn't have left you with such a cliffhanger and then not updated for a month. Sorry for that.**

**Make sure to check out my new fanfic, Burning It Down, in the Danny Phantom catagory. It's a song fic for Burn It Down by Linkon Park, and has nothing to do with Danny Phantom other than the fact their is ghosts in it. If you love the song Burn It Down read it! You don't have to understand the song to understand the theme. (I'll give you a hint: it's about a real event.)**

**Have a very good Angel Food Cake Day! (Yes, it really is) -fanficfantasies **


	6. Chapter 6

_Come__ on Harriet! Just a little farther..._

I couldn't take it anymore. I let out a groan and then promptly fell to the ground. Christchan fell out of my arms and onto the grass. I landed on the same hip that I had fallen on in the cafeteria, causing another groan. My arms flailed out beside me letting me see the gashes that the leader horse caused.

I'd been hiking through the woods for at least three hours, dragging Christchan along with me. He still hadn't woken up, making me worry. Could he have been injected with the serum the horses were talking about? Will he wake up with no memories?

My arms, legs, everything burned. I desperately needed to patch up mine, and Christchan's, wounds, but there was nothing I could use. I would have went back to my house, but the feral grin on the leader horses face stopped me. He said he would see me again. Did that mean he would lay siege on my house? Even if he didn't, my parents would have to many questions about Christchan. No, it's better to keep going this way and hope for the best.

But now... I don't think I'll be able to get up, never less keep walking.

I just stared blankly ahead of me, more concerned with keeping myself conscious than with actually moving. Then something caught my eye. It was a flash of bronze and it was coming from a tree.

Leaving Christchan on the ground, I got up and staggered to the tree, much like I was drunk. I leaned my hand into the bark to keep myself steady, relishing the biting sensation. My eyes ran across the tree until I saw the bronze that drew me over here. There was a small hole that the bronze was in. What?...

It took a few seconds to realize that this was the tree Sophia had shot such a long time ago. Normally I would have just kept walking and used it as a landmark. But then I realized that this wasn't the same clearing that this tree was in before. It moved. How could it have moved?

Without realizing it I had slid out the Hunger Games Pin and was trying desperately to get the bronze bullet out. Bark was under my finger nails by the time I had gotten it out. It was covered in tree sap. Then I ripped the sleeve of my left arm and stuffed it in the tiny hole. I tried to paint tree sap over it so it would stay put. I stepped back and admired my work. "There." I whispered.

Why did I do that? I have no idea. I was just acting on my tired, delirious instincts.

When the tree stared shimmering I was proud of my reaction. I only blinked and rubbed my eyes, though I hardly thought it was a hallucination. The tree started shrinking until it was a girl about my age. She had brown body, peach face, and green hair. There was a crown of lilies around her head. But it was lopsided. Her neon green dress was scraped up and her shoulder was in a makeshift bandage. Her feet were bare, her lips were bright red and her eyes were violet.

The girl smiled at seeing me. "It's you! I haven't seen you in so long. What happened to you? Oh, never mind that. Thank you for helping me. You don't know what I felt when you and the other ones came around the first time. Them sparring and you hiding in the bushes! It was so romantic! Well, until I got shot. And now the pain's finally gone..."

The girl seemed to realize she was babbling and clamped her mouth shut. Then she looked over at me and Christchan again. "You helped me with my injuries, I'll help you with yours. My name's Wisp. You can come to my house until your injuries heal. Unless you don't want to... I'd understand. Lots of people say I'm pushy."

I couldn't help it, I smiled. I wanted to process this information and compare it to everything else I've learned today, but I was so exhausted I could hardly think. "You're not pushy, and I'm so glad you offered. I feel like I'm going to collapse."

"Then go in. I'll go get the other guy."

She gestured toward what looked like a hollow tree. It was covered with moss and starting to rot. The bark seemed dry and brittle like most of its branches fell of a long time ago. I staggered over and gripped the bark to help keep me steady. It didn't work since the bark crumbled in my grasp. I used my remaining balance to slip into the hole in the tree.

I didn't look at her house. My head was getting really fuzzy, and black spots started to dance around my eyes. I did catch that her house was green and brown, but not much else. There was a sofa, I know that because I fell right in front of it. The rug was green and felt like grass. My blonde hair spread out around my face. I stared at the strands for a few seconds before I decided not to tempt fate. I fell into unconsciousness.

I awoke on a soft bed. The sheets were white, the headboard brown, and the comforter green. Something seemed familiar about the greenness of the place, but I couldn't recall what it was. I had no idea where I was and what I was doing there.

It took a few moments of mind searching, but slowly my mind replayed everything that had happened from the gunshot to right now.

After going through everything I was starting to realize some things.

The first thing I realized, really _solved_, was why Sophia and Christchan were missing from my memories. They must have gone to the camp that they took Calya to. Sophia learned her sharp shooting there and Christchan learned combat there. That's probably the only reason they came back from the camp in the first place. They were looking for new recruits.

Second thing I solved was why my memories of them are gone. They used whatever that Mist thing is. The Mist took away any suspicions I had of them, just like Nico and Thailia used the Mist to wipe away the police leader's memory.

Third thing: The reason I found a Hunger Games pin at the sight of the shooting is because one of the Popular Crew members (now determined to be Drew) was suspected to be a demigod. Christchan and Sophia were probably going to give the pin back the day after the shooting so they could observe Drew close up. That would be why the horses were attacking Drew - she must be a demigod.

Forth: Their monsters are real. Not only are they real, but they are freak'n _scary_. The white horses were probably only some of the monsters they mentioned. Sophia and Christchan use bronze weapons because that's the only thing that hurts them.

There were still a lot of questions. How did Nico and Thailia just disappear? What's a demigod? Who gave me the note during the monster attack? Where do monsters come from? How did Christchan and Sophia use a puddle to talk to people? What does ADHD and dyslexia have to do with demigods (because I'm positive that it has something to do with demigods)? There were soooo many more questions.

I sat up. I don't know how, but I felt so much better. I looked down at my arms and realized that they were bandaged up. Wisp must have done it. Thank gosh for her. If she wasn't there when I practically fainted in the woods, I have no idea what would have happened.

Looking across the room I could see Christchan lying in a second bed to the left of mine. He looked so much better. He was patched up to the point that I could barely notice his injuries. Very soon he would wake up and I would have to explain everything that happened. But for now I just wanted to relax, free of worry. The universe better be able to give me a few hours of that.

I got up and staggered to the door of the bed room. Ignoring the walls, which were actually bark, I put on some new clothes that Wisp must have left out for me, and I went outside. I was now wearing a brown tunic (at least I think that's what it was) with very short brown shorts that had green tights underneath. I kept my Nike sneakers my sweatshirt, which had the note and the pin in it, despite my sweatshirt having claw marks on it. My blonde hair was tucked back into a ponytail.

Outside I could almost think that nothing bad had happened. I could almost think that I'm just out on a hike in the woods on a Saturday. The sun was shining through the branches of the trees and birds were tussling in the trees. Dew wet the ground, leaving me to think it was early morning. It was beautiful. But trees surrounded me, making me feel like I was choking. I dashed into the woods, flying by all the branches full of leaves. Soon I made it to a mini-clearing, only big enough for a giant rock to sit in the middle. But I was satisfied with this and I climbed onto the giant rock. Once I made it to the top I sat peered into the trees from every direction (better safe than sorry). As soon as I was satisfied I was safe I laid on the rock and looked at the clouds. They were little white orbs in a sky much to big for it. Ironic, that was just what I felt now.

It seemed I couldn't escape my thoughts for even a second. They just started to plague me immediately after I made it to the clearing. Question after question after question until my head practically exploded.

An owl saved me from my torture. It was really surprising since it just flew out in broad daylight, but since I long since decided not to be surprised by things anymore, I hardly blinked. When the owl stared at me I stared back. It came to sit beside me, and I let it. After a while of silence, I noticed the owl was almost staring holes into my head. I couldn't think of what it could want, so I started fishing around in my pockets for something it could take.

As I was digging, I came across the note that I received during the battle. It looked a little worse for wear but still clearly said, _**Those who seek knowledge will always find it.**_ I remembered my knife, which was probably still laying in the rubble of the school. I'll have to go retrieve it sometime.

Before I could stop it, the owl grabbed my note and flew into the forest. "Wait!" I shouted, "Come back!" But the owl kept flying away, like it had no care in the world.

Watching the owl fly away, I got really frustrated. "You get back here or I'll... I'll ring your stupid little neck!"

The owl, cool and collected, turned back at me and stared at me with its golden eyes. After staring long enough to creep me out it spoke. This is what it said:

_**"I'll let you get away with it for now, but you should never, **__**ever**__** threaten a goddess. Don't make that mistake again."**_

Then the owl turned and shot back into the forest.

That's when all the pieces clicked together.

**A/N: Yep, this is a filler chapter. The next one will have some action in it, promise. And yep, I left a cliffy. Deal with it.**

** Sorry for not updating in a while. It's going to be like this a lot more now, but I will be working on one-shots, so you'll have something to read in between. I also put The Cathy Chronicles, my other series, on hiatus until I feel I can write it better. Not this story though, don't worry. I'll update ASAP!**

** -fanficfantasies**


	7. Chapter 7

**This chapter is dedicated to Gaia-was-Framed, since I think that he/she's the only person still here.**

_**...you should never, **__**ever**__** threaten a goddess...**_

_** ...**__**Mistress ordered us to bring all demigods to her alive...**_

_** ...the Cyclops will save them...**_

_** ...take them to Gaia...**_

I felt like I sat there forever staring at the place the owl vanished. My thoughts swirled like they were in a blender set on high. But I was grinning, victorious. Because those few sentences the owl spoke opened up a possibility that I had never thought of before. It seemed to match up to all the other pieces of evidence perfectly. At the same time it was something I didn't want to believe. If I'm right...

_Stop. First I need to know I __am__ right._

I jumped up off the rock and I sprinted into the forest. My new burst of adrenaline let me run in 3 minutes farther than I walked in 3 hours. Soon I was out of the forest and heading toward my house.

It didn't take me long to realize something was wrong. I didn't come out to the Big Barn like I planned. There were houses around me; I was standing in the backyard of one right now. From where I was standing, the area looked a lot like my street, but the house numbers where different. I walked to the front door of the house that I came out at. The house was a light-ish blue, light-ish tan color with a flat roof. The driveway had only one broken down car in it, and the porches lights had no light bulbs in them. All and all, it looked like the place was getting ready to be torn down.

I checked its house number. 243.

_Crap! I'm on the other side of town. I must have further in the forest than I thought. How am I going to get to my house now?_

I made a split second decision. I was going to go in house 243 and hang out there for a while, get some food, use their computer if they had one. _It's not stealing,_ I told myself, _it's just borrowing._

If there is one thing that I learned today, is that I suck at breaking and entering. I wasn't tall enough to reach any of the windows and even if I could I wouldn't have enough upper body strength to pull myself up. The roof was out of the question, considering I didn't have a ladder, and there was no freak'n way I would be able to punch a hole through the wall to get in. That was practically the only thing I hadn't tried yet.

Except for the front door. I just decided to screw this and to go and see if who was inside would just let me in. I walked up the rickety stairs and to the door. Everything on the porch seemed to be peeling paint and wood getting ready to give someone a splinter. As lightly as I could I rapped on the door (it didn't have a doorbell).

It was obvious that something was up when the door fell inward. I looked at it for a little, but I put it to the hinges rusting and snapping. I slid into the dusty, horribly kept house, heading to the kitchen. My stomach started growling like there was no tomorrow, so I grabbed some trail mix I found and ate it. It was really hard not to think that the raisins were mouse droppings, but I managed to eat them all. Then I went over and booted up an old computer, long past being concerned that someone was home.

When the rusty thing finally booted up and was on the internet I typed in the first thing I needed to confirm- Gaia.

Bing, the search engine I was using, popped up with all sorts of things. I hit a link to that said it would Define Gaia. It said this:

**-n**

**the goddess of the earth, who bore Uranus and by him Oceanus, Cronus, and the Titans**

That didn't answer very many questions. I typed in Uranus into and got this:

**noun **

**1. **

**Astronomy . the planet seventh in order from the sun, having an equatorial diameter of 32,600 miles (56,460 km), a ****mean**** distance from the sun of 1,784 million miles (2,871 million km), a period of ****revolution**** of 84.07 years, and 15 moons. See table under ****planet****. **

**2. **

**Also, ****Ouranos****. Classical Mythology . the personification of Heaven and ruler of the world, son and husband of Gaea (Earth) and father of the Titans, who was castrated and dethroned by his youngest son, Cronus, at the instigation of Gaea.**

_So... basically people used to think that Uranus ruled the world and that he had sons, the Titans, and that one of them, Cronus, kicked him off of his throne because Gaia, his wife, asked him to._

Flip. My sour thoughts about Gaia turned even worse when I realized that she had someone ordered to be murdered. At least, that's what I infer. If I had a throne I'd protect it with my life.

I looked up Cronus. It said:

**a Titan, son of Uranus and Gaea, who was dethroned by his son Zeus. **

_Wait... Cronus dethroned his dad by the orders of his mom, only to be dethroned by his kids! And isn't Zeus from Greek Mythology?_

I hit the definition for Zeus.

**noun **

**the supreme deity of the ancient Greeks, a son of Cronus and Rhea, brother of Demeter, Hades, Hera, Hestia, and Poseidon, and father of a number of gods, demigods, and mortals; the god of the heavens, identified by the Romans with Jupiter.**

That made my head spin. But I saw one thing that made me jump for joy. The word _demigod_, sitting right there on the screen, waiting to be looked up.

I held my breath and clicked the button.

**1. a mythological being who is partly divine and partly human; an inferior deity. **

** 2. a deified mortal.**

That's when I figured it out. _Demigods are children of the Greek gods and goddesses._

_ And my best friends are one._

I spent the rest of the afternoon searching the internet for anything on the Greek gods and goddesses. I read about each of the Twelve Olympians and found out what their specialties are. Athena is knowledge and her animal symbol is the owl. She is the one who sent me the note she was the owl in the woods. Zeus is the sky, more famously electricity. Poseidon is water; the oceans. Artemis is fertility, childbirth, and archery. She leads the Hunters of Artemis in the legends and is an eternal maiden. They must be true also. I read about all of gods and even some extra. I read about Hades, king of the Underworld, and how he became that way. I read about Hestia (goddess of fire and the hearth, eternal maiden) and how she gave up her seat as and Olympian to Dyanosis (god of wine) or Demeter (goddess of grain) to avoid blood shed.

It was hard to believe that all of this was true. I was never a religious person, but this is the only thing that could possibly be true. That must be why I'm putting such blind faith into it. Although, my faith isn't really being invested blindly, considering what's been going on for the past week.

_Man, has it really only been a week? It doesn't feel like it._

It took a little while for it to occur to me that I solved the Mystery of the Demigods. I'd done what I had come to do. But now I'm in so deep that I don't think I could get out if I tried. Christchan is over in the forest hurt, my best friend Calya is at the demigod camp, Sophia is missing, I saved a girl-no, tree nymph-Wisp, I met a goddess, I fought one of the monsters... Way to much has happened since the gunshot was first fired, since I ran to my mom last week...

_Oh my gosh, my mom! I haven't been back to the house since the fight! She's probably wondering where the heck I am! She's probably worried sick! I need to get to the house, I need to tell my parents I'm alright!_

I leapt from the computer chair, with out logging off, and started out the door. But I went the wrong way and charged into a living room. The room was dusty and crappy, but I didn't pay it any mind. I turned back to where I entered and was about to leave when I slipped, falling to the ground. I caught myself with my hands and lowered myself to my knees. I got ready to stand back up when I noticed the floor was covered with blood. My green tights' knees were soaked with it and it was on my hands, outlining every crease on them. I slowly turned my head, following the blood trail that the floor left, until it stopped at a lump in the corner.

Standing up, I walked over there, terrified of what I'd see. Soon I was next to the blob, nudging it with my feet and flipping it over.

Suddenly I realized what it was. It was the body of a girl, probably only a few years older that me. But she had bite marks all over her arms and legs along with chucks ripped out of them. Her shirt was torn to pieces, large chunks ripped out of her stomach and neck. Her eyes were still open, dull eyes void of emotion. My shaking hands checked her pulse. She didn't have one.

The horses came. That's the only thing that makes sense. The horses came, and they ate her. They _murdered _her.

I don't remember going into the kitchen and washing my hands. I don't remember walking out of the house and starting down the street. But I do remember walking to my house, marveling how much this seemed like a ghost town, and hoping that my mom didn't become a victim.

I stared up at my house. It didn't look like an angry psychopathic horse killer came in and murdered my parents, but looks could be deceiving. I had went back to the school and got the knife before I got to my house, just in case. It was really surprising that there were no policemen or firemen there. There were just ruins. While I was there I looked all over the place for Sophia, or Drew, or anyone. But no one was there.

This place was like a ghost town now. It seems that everyone was murdered, or evacuated, when the horses came. But I didn't want to take any chances. Quietly as I was able I walked up to the door, and unlocked it using our hidden spare key.

_Pretend it's just and ordinary day... my dad's sitting inside typing on the computer, my mom's cooking dinner, waiting for me... it's just and ordinary day... it's just an ordinary day._

I repeated that mantra in my head as I pushed the door open and looked inside. The sight made me gasp. My dad was sitting on the couch typing on the computer and my mom was bustling about around the stove.

"How was your day at school?" mom asked me.

"Um- it-it was good." I stuttered out. There was no way my parents would still be here. They would be gone by now!

"Go get your homework done while I make supper." mom said. "How does chicken sound?"

"Great." I replied. I sat down at the kitchen table and just stared at my mom, unable to believe that she was functioning normally. She should know about all the disaster that's happened these past few days!

I was just watching her cook when I realized that if I looked at her for to long she would just blink out of existence. At first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but each time I stared at her she disappeared for longer, and longer, until she just vanished and never came back. I swiveled around just in time to see my dad just puff out of existence also, leaving the computer on and running.

I was in shock. I just sat there and didn't move for a while.

_Why would my parents just disappear on me? What happened? _I watched them, or where they used to be, for a while before I remembered.

_...__**"All we do is pull the Mist around these mortal's minds, then we're out of here."...**_

Is it possible? Could it have been the Mist?

_Go over the facts. You came home after disappearing for a day, and your parents acted completely normal. Then, if I looked at them to long, they would blink out of existence. If this was the Mist, it could have replaced my parents for the longest time. Some one could have kidnapped them, someone could have killed them, or, worst of all... they could have always been like this._

I could feel my face pale at the realization. _I could have never had parents._

I was shocked out of my thoughts when I heard a window shattering. I jumped up, gripped my knife and did the only think I could think of. I walk, slowly, toward the noise. I tracked it to the guest room, which wasn't encouraging, since it was on the second floor. Listening so carefully I had to hold my breath, I could hear dialogue from inside the room.

"...you kidding me! This place is a ghost town! There is no way that Sophia and Christchan wouldn't have IM'ed if they were ok when this happened!"

"They could have been just being lazy."

"Listen Nico, I don't like being on this job any more that you do, but..."

I didn't get to hear the rest of what was said, because I gasped as soon as I heard the name Nico.

And... I probably shouldn't have gasped. Because immediately after that I was slammed into a wall so hard that my knife fell out of my hand. I could feel as bitter cold steel on my neck just as clearly as I could see the slightly emo, slightly goth person holding me to the wall. Nico.

The three of us looked at each other, two against one, and simultaneously said,

"It's _you_."

**A/N: Hi! I'm alive! **

** I know I promised that there would be action, but this was a close as I could get. I swear, this thing is writing its self now. Well, at least I got to make that connection to chapter three... **

** Anyone still there? *crickets chirp* I seriously need some help. I don't know where I want this to go. These are the options:**

**A) Harriet goes to Camp-Half Blood. (That would make the story end pretty fast, since I still haven't decided if she's a mortal or not and I don't like the 'Welcome-to-Camp-Half-Blood' stage.) **__

**B) Harriet goes to get the people that the horses captured. **

**C) A mix of the two.**

**D) Harriet finds another mystery to solve, or I suddenly get and idea from a viewer or think of a new one. **

** Please help me! Just give me a review with an answer, and I'll do the rest.**

** Merry Belated Christmas (Advent Season, Hanukah, Kwanza...),**

** -fanficfantasies**


	8. Chapter 8

_The three of us looked at each other, two against one, and simultaneously said, _

_"It's you."_

I pressed myself against the wall as hard as I could, to prevent the steel from cutting me. My mind analyzed the situation.

_I'm pressed against the wall in the hallway by two people who are potential threats. I am unarmed; my knife is on the floor next to my foot. I have a steel weapon pressed against my throat, holding me to the wall. The stairs are on my far right, blocked by Thalia. The guest room is directly across from me, blocked by Nico. My only potential escape route is my room, which is near the end of the hall. If I made it there, I would have to get out of the window before anyone could take a weapon to me..._

I examined the intruders again the same way they were examining me. Thalia had a bow and quiver stocked with arrows on her back. She was wearing a black leather jacket and had her hair sort of spiked on her head. I could clearly see her combat boots, which to me had become her signature. But the most significant thing about her was the sliver crown on her head and the silver shimmer around her body.

Nico was wearing black, ripped jeans, a black t-shirt with lime green symbols on it, and an unzipped black sweatshirt. His heads steadily held his sword up to my neck, just barely not drawing blood. I was glad for that, because something about his sword that made me shudder. His eyes were trained on me and, now that I looked closely, I could see specks of black floating in his brown eyes.

"Why are you here? How did you get in?" Thalia asked, as she leaned up against the wall across from me.

I should be suffering from a panic attack, with burglars in my house, holding me by sword point, asking how I got here. And I'm pretty sure that if the last week hadn't happened I would be shaking like I stuck a fork in the wall socket. But I wasn't; that emotion replaced with a strange sarcasm.

"Well..." I drawled, sounding like a dumb blonde, "I'm here because this is my house. And as of how I got in... FYI, there is this think called a door at the front of the house. And if the person who wants to go through the door has a key, they can-"

"This is stupid!" Nico interjected, pressing the steel (I think) sword into my flesh. "Thalia, just use the Mist on her!"

"Fine..." she grumbled. "You will not remember anything about us and you are just showing us, your guests out the door." She snapped her fingers at the end of the sentence.

At that moment several things happened at once. Nico removed his sword from my neck, causing me to stumble forward. A white, transparent mist came from all directions to Thalia's fingers, weaving its self into what looked like a tight square. I felt a memory pressing into my head, a memory of welcoming Nico and Thalia into my house, talking small talk of the recent history homework, me going to my room to get my text book, and then now.

I knew those memories were false. I could see right through them to what had really happened. But I recognized this moment to turn the tides of the situation to my side. I pretended to look confused as the mist faded.

"So... where were we?"

"You were showing us to the door."

"Oh!" I gasped. "This way then." I turned to my left and started walking, purposely tripping on my knife. I caught myself as I fell and tried to discreetly slide my knife up my sleeve. I pushed myself to me feet saying, "Sorry, I'm really clumsy."

I led Nico and Thalia down the stairs and to the front door, but I stopped once we were there, blocking Nico and Thalia from the door. They looked at me strangely before Nico politely (for him) asked, "May we please leave?"

I ignored his question. "So... where to start... I'm just going to assume that you two are demi-gods, especially since I've seen Thalia use the Mist three times now. And I predict that you," I pointed at Thalia, "are part of the Hunters of Artemis since you have a diadem on your head and a shimmery aura around your body. I can't really guess your godly parent from your sense of style. But you," I gestured to Nico, "made yours really obvious wearing black all the time. You must be a son of Hades. Am I right?"

They both stared at me utterly speechless, probably analyzing all the information I had and trying to figure out where it came from. I just stood there wondering if I should have antagonized the people who _have swords_ so. After a minute or so Nico murmured something under his breath before turning to me.

"Where did you get this information?" Nico asked, his voice cool as ice, while withdrawing his sword.

"Yikes, I really didn't want to get into a fight," _Maybe I shouldn't have told them this way, _I thought. Then I retracted that thought. _Of course I shouldn't have told them this way!_ I pulled out my knife and angled it so its tip faced my upper left._ No point in backing down now._ "I figured it out myself, during the events of the last week. Well, I did have a little help." I said, recalling Athena in owl form, the man-eating horses, and the mysterious appearance of my knife.

Nico suddenly lunged at me, his sword whistling in the air. I moved so it slid directly under my armpit, cutting through my red sweatshirt and my green t-shirt without hitting my skin. Nico held the sword there for a second and looked at Thalia, as if silently communicating. I backed out of the sword's reach and wiped my sweaty hand against my shirt. Thalia, understanding whatever Nico was communicating to her, nodded, crossing her arms and leaning against a wall. I barely had time to re-adjust the grip of my knife as Nico started swinging his sword again.

Trying to fight against a human being, not to mention a human being with experience, is a lot harder than fighting a animal. Animals, in most cases, only have instinct to draw from. While one clever move could take out an animal, humans have a better ability of redirecting them, or changing them to their advantage. And, of course, there is always the fact that I have basically no fighting experience what-so-ever!

I managed to block Nico's first blow with my knife, but I wasn't fast enough to block his second. I just barely managed to step back before the sword could cut my stomach. I was able to do that for a little bit, but it was obvious that Nico was holding back and that if he went at full force he would cream me. Also, I kept losing ground, and I had watched enough TV to know that was bad.

When Nico's sword careened down, ready to slash off my ear, something changed. The sword seemed to slow down, its deadly arch glinting in the light. My arm seemed to move without command and my bronze knife came up to block the blow. Clangs reverberated throughout the house, but I didn't put down my knife. But when Nico added more force to his blow I tilted my knife so the flat edge was towards Nico, redirecting the force.

Nico's weapon bounced off but he made no attempt to strike again. I was panting from adrenaline and the offset that came with time seemingly speeding up again. The back of my hand came to wipe sweat off my brow as I watched Nico and Thalia closely.

"You still think she's not a demigod?" Nico asked, eyes still locked on me, addressing no one.

Thalia ran her eyes over me but didn't answer Nico's question.

A gurgling sound from the sink cut off any more conversation. Leftover water from the bottom of the kitchen sink started to shimmer and rise up to created a thin veil. I turned to face it, still keeping my knife leveled. A face started to appear in the veil, coming with back round sounds of laughter and clanging of metal.

The face was a healthy, white color, with brown freckles and brown rimmed glasses. The eyes were a glittering green full of cheer, and cheeks were pink from laughter. The whole face was sort of impish, with pointy-ish ears and angled cheek bones. She, for it was a girl, was wearing a pink ponytail and a orange t-shirt.

It was Cayla.

"Guys, have you found anything? Chiron was starting to get worried because you didn't call back when you were supposed to. What's-"

"Cayla!" I gasped, my voice a mixture of relief and surprise. But I quickly regained my composure, along with my sarcasm. "I haven't seen you in forever! Before we catch up, could you please tell Nico that I'm not a threat and that he should STOP ATTACKING ME!" I aimed the last part of my speech at Nico.

Cayla's attention turned to me in a flash. "Kylie! What's going on? Why didn't you evacuate? And... what...?"

"You know this girl?" Thalia asked Cayla.

"Yeah," Cayla replied, still in some kind of trance. "She's my best friend... But I don't understand how you... I need to go inform Chiron."

Cayla turned away and left the room for a few seconds, letting us see the prism she was using to make... a rainbow? I heard shouting in the distance, then footsteps before Cayla came back on.

"Chiron wants you to bring back Kylie." Cayla told Nico and Thalia. "He wants to know what her story is, and frankly I want to know too." Cayla looked over to me, her eyes glittering with joy.

"Ok then." Nico said, sheathing his sword. I took that to mean he wasn't going to attack and I put my knife away. "Hands in." he said, before sticking out his hand. Thalia placed her hand on top and motioned me to do so.

"Wait," I said, "are we going to do the 'poof and disappear in black dust' thing?"

"It's called shadow traveling," Nico said, annoyed, "and yes."

I looked down at my cut up, blood stained clothes before meeting Nico and Thalia's gaze again. "If you don't mind, there are a few things I need to do first, including change my clothes."

(O)O)O)O)O)O)O)O)

After I changed my clothes into a blue fleece jacket, an loose fitting gym shirt, and red jeans I explained to Nico and Thalia about Christchan being wounded. We headed off, me leading them, to get back to Wisp's house. Once we got there Wisp helped me lift up Christchan, who was unconscious and suffering from a fever, and carry him over to Nico and Thalia. Wisp decided to come with us, because she was lonely and because she still felt indebted to me. Nothing I said could get her to stay.

Nico gestured for us to put our hands together, and this time I did so without hesitation. In the blink of an eye we were whizzing though a dark abyss at speeds that made my stomach churn. Luckily, just as soon we were in there we got out. We faded back into existence in a large, blue lounge room. There was a table in the middle of the room with an older man in a wheel chair sitting near it. He was playing cards with three people. One was a girl with blonde hair and startling gray eyes, another was a boy with shaggy brown hair with horns protruding out of his head and hooves, and the last was a boy with black hair and sea-green eyes who looked increasingly frustrated.

While the green-eyed boy rearranged his cards, the blonde haired girl put her cards face up on the table. "I win." she said, addressing the wheel chaired man at the head of the table. The man didn't respond, instead looking at his cards to see if he had the better hand. While the man was busy, the girl seemed to catch us out of her peripheral vision.

"Chiron, Nico and Thalia are back and they brought company." she said.

Everyone at the table turned to look at us. Out of everyone, the green-eyed guy and the blonde haired girl caught my attention most. The green-eyed guy was looking at us with curious eyes. The blonde haired girl's grey eyes were calculating and I could practically the gears turning in her head.

"This is the girl we were talking about." Thalia said, pointing at me. "She had companions, Christchan, who's injured, and a tree nymph Wisp."

"We need to handle Christchan first." the man, Chiron, said. "Take him to the infirmary, and then head back to lady Artemis. She's probably wondering where you've been."

Thalia and Wisp carried Christchan out of the room. That left Nico and me standing in front of a room full of people staring at us. The blonde haired girl started shooting questions at Nico, which I listened to without interrupting.

"Where did you find her?" the girl asked, pointing at me.

"In one of the houses. She said that she lived there, but she hadn't evacuated and the Mist didn't work on her. She had a bronze knife, like yours, and she knew about the gods and goddesses before we came." Nico answered.

"How did she figure that out?"

"I don't know. She never said, just that she did it with little help."

They kept talking like that for a little while, and even though I didn't like people talking like I wasn't there, I kept my mouth shut. I spent my time observing the people in the room and trying to figure out who their godly parent is.

By process of elimination, I decided that I was at Camp Half-Blood, the demigod camp. That would mean that the people in here are demigods. I already concluded that Nico's parent is Hades. That left blonde haired girl and sea-green eyes, since the horn guy already left and I really didn't think that wheel chair guy was a demigod.

I thought that for the blonde haired girl her most distinctive feature was her grey eyes. Pairing that with her calculative instinct, the god/goddess should be obvious. The one my brain immediately drew up was Athena, which fit her calculative instinct and her grey eyes. Athena was often described with grey eyes, especially in owl form.

At this point Nico was telling Athena's child about the trip to the school. I ignored that conversation to examine the green-eyed boy. Other than his eyes, his other distinguishing feature was his black hair. I didn't really know who it could be until I saw his 'Love Dolphins' shirt. He must be a son of Poseidon. After coming to that conclusion I could very clearly see Poseidon reflected in him. When he caught my eye I tipped my head towards Nico and the blonde haired girl and rolled my eyes. He seemed to get what I was implying and smirked.

Without warning I spoke up, cutting off whatever they were talking about. Nico and blonde haired girl whirled to face me at my sudden interruption. My voice came out annoyed and cocky and I said, "Three things. One) If you really want to know what happened so much, you could just ask me to tell you. Two) Isn't it rude to talk like someone's not there, especially if no one's introduced themselves? And three) Where the heck am I? Because I'm sure it's not unicorn land."

There was silence for a moment. Then the green-eyed boy started laughing. The blonde haired girl glared at him and he put his hands up in a 'I surrender' gesture, but he couldn't stop laughing.

Eventually he calmed down. "I guess you're right, we've been rude." he said, "I'm Percy, the blonde one is Annabeth, and... well, I guess you already know Nico. The man in the wheel chair is Chiron... am I forgetting someone?"

Annabeth sighed, before she responded. "Grover was the boy with horns who left after Thalia did."

I smiled, my attitude becoming more friendly than hostile. "I'm Kylie, and I'm more than willing to tell my story, if you guys could explain to me more about how this," I gestured around me, "works."

"Well, than I guess we should start with more formal introductions, then." Chiron said. "Grover Underwood is a satyr, Annabeth Chase is-"

"A child of Athena, right?" I interjected.

Annabeth nodded, looking at me in a whole different light.

"Nico is a child of Hades, and Percy is a child of Poseidon." I addressed Percy, "But I don't believe I know your full name..."

He grinned. "Percy Jackson, at your service."

Nico looked at me hesitantly, but then said, "Nico di Angelo, son of Hades."

"Ok, and are you really _the_ Chiron, like from the Greek myths?"

Nico and I sat down at the round table, that comment starting a conversation that lasted for hours.

(O(O(O(O()O)O)O

I lay awake in the bed I was sleeping on, staring at the whitewash ceiling. Closing my eyes, I listened to the soft sounds of Christchan breathing. I ended up sleeping on a cot by where Christchan was being treated. Since the conversation we had lasted long into the night, Chiron decided that it would be best for me to sleep in the Big House, (the big blue house we were in), in the medical wing. I agreed, not really wanting to leave Christchan's side. With everything that had been happening, I had been seeing to little of him lately.

Sighing, I twisted onto my right side so I was facing Christchan. He was laying in his own cot steadily breathing in and out. Earlier Christchan had woken up long enough to drink some slightly glowing blue liquid, although he was delirious. I was told that the liquid was ambrosia, and that it allowed demigod's wounds to heal more quickly. It seemed to be working. His fever is down, he's not struggling in his sleep, and his leg -which I was positive was infected- was looking a lot better. It would be longer before he healed, but I was sure that he would be alright.

It was strange. Before The Mystery of the Demigods happened when ever I looked at Christchan my heart would do a little tap dance, and I could feel my cheeks start to heat up. But now... now all I felt when I looked at him was an indifference. I still cared for him as I friend... but not anything more.

I carefully turned so I was facing the wall, falling into my thoughts. I'm not quite sure when my feelings changed. Maybe it was discovering Christchan and Sophia are an item. Maybe it was realizing that I really didn't know them. Maybe it was when I was almost forced to kill him. Maybe it was seeing him so close to death. Maybe it was the fact he's laying there right now, not waking up.

Maybe it was the fact that over the past few weeks I had grown up and he wasn't there for it. Maybe it's _just part of growing up_. Maybe the feeling will eventually come back...

No. Somewhere inside of me I know for certain that the feeling won't come back... at least not for him. And dwelling on the 'maybes' isn't going to get me anywhere.

I forced my eyes to close, reminding myself of the big day tomorrow. But I couldn't fully get the thoughts out of my mind. I finally fell asleep wondering if I knew what love really is.

**A/N: I swear you guys, I have no idea where that end came from. It just popped in there and wrote its self.**

**I know where this is going now, and I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. Life got in my way. I'm planning on making this 'Welcome to Camp Half-Blood' phase confined to one chapter before I get rolling, so if there's someone special you want Kylie to meet, tell me in a review. I'll see if I can add them.**

**Hope you enjoyed Kylie's reactions to everyone. Hope they're all in character. Especially Percy. I was pretty sure he'd side with Kylie in that whole thing. I tried to throw in some of Kylie's insecurities at the ending, to show she's still just a teenage girl. I'd like to do that some more in the story. I hoping for Kylie to have some more struggles with love... just haven't decided how that's going to work yet.**

**Review, because I always take into consideration anything I'm told. One review made this story a whole lot longer than I planned it to... heck, one person's opinion **_**made**_** this a story. Don't underestimate the power of words.**

**See ya later, alligator,**

**-fanficfantasies**


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